


He Noticed Her

by geminibaby28



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Hermione Granger, Duelling, F/M, Light Angst, Swearing, Teenage Tom Riddle, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24114430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geminibaby28/pseuds/geminibaby28
Summary: He had no idea where she came from, or why she suddenly joined Hogwarts in their Seventh Year, but he didn’t really care either way.Until he noticed her.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Tom Riddle
Comments: 10
Kudos: 264





	He Noticed Her

He had no idea where she came from, or why she suddenly joined Hogwarts in their Seventh Year, but he didn’t really care either way. He didn’t think about her. She was a nobody; he was Head boy, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, and of course, Lord Voldemort. Riddle had more important things to deal with, such as convincing Dippet to give him the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts next year, than to notice her. All he gathered in passing was that she was quiet, kept to herself and hardly spoke in class. Not overly intelligent, not a moron, but average.

Average. How appalling it must be to be average. Plain Jane, his Knights had taken to calling her. He hadn’t bothered to learn her real name. At least she didn’t launch herself at him like most other girls at Hogwarts. That he noticed, and he was rather relieved at not having to deal with yet another mindless slag.

-

But then one evening, after he’d shaken off half a dozen girls and terrorized a few fourth years, he rounded a corridor and almost bumped into several of his Knights. Lestrange, Avery, Malfoy, Nott and Dolohov were hanging around the corner, clearly waiting for some unlucky victim to stumble across them. Not wanting to deal with those imbeciles at that particular time, he went to turn back, but paused after catching Lestrange muttering to the other four about the best way to continue their ‘Hogwarts welcome’ for the New Girl.

“She won’t be long” Lestrange stated. “Just mess her up a bit, it’s about time we’ve got something new to pay with.”

“Let her know who we are.” Avery chimed in.

Riddle rolled his eyes. They were nothing but a bunch of idiots when left to their own devices. At least they could duel, he reasoned. Abet not to his standards, but really, who could?

“She’s coming!” Lestrange interrupted his thoughts. “Ready?”

“Ready,” came the reply.

Riddle rolled his eyes but stayed hidden. He needed some entertainment, and watching his Knights frighten an innocent girl would do nicely. The echo of the witch’s footsteps got louder, and he saw her falter as she came round the corner to be faced with five Slytherins’, wands drawn. She frowned, but didn’t bother reaching for her own wand.

Idiot, Riddle thought.

“Ah! Plain Jane!” Lestrange exclaimed. “How lovely to run into you!”

“Exquisite,” Malfoy added.

“What do you want?” The girl sighed.

“Hmm what do we want?” Lestrange smirked. “Well I think we’d all like to see what’s under that jumper for starters, wouldn’t we boys?”

Half listening to his Knights’ whistles of agreement and catcalls, Riddle studied the girl. He was rather surprised at how relaxed she seemed, standing with her weight on her right leg, arms by her side, hanging loosely. So naïve. So oblivious to the impending attack. Oh well, he thought. She’ll learn her lesson.

“I’d rather not take my clothes off thank you,” she replied primly, absentmindedly pulling her sleeves up. Riddle thought she must really be an idiot if she couldn’t see how ironic she was being. Apparently his Knights thought the same.

“Oh yeah? Is that why you’re showing off some skin for us darling?” Dolohov curled his lip.

“Expelliarmus!” Nott cast suddenly. To Riddle’s amusement, the girl simply stepped aside and let the spell bounce off the stone wall behind her, and sped straight back to Nott, hitting him squarely on his chest and throwing him in one direction, his wand in the other and knocking him out in the process.

“Oh look at that! I didn’t even have to do anything to make you fall down on your knees in front of me,” the girl quipped.

Riddle raised his eyebrow at her audacity. Why was she not afraid? She was one against five, well now four, but still. Any other person would have accepted defeat as soon as they turned the corner into the situation.

Apparently though, not her.

“Fuck you bitch!” Lestrange snarled. “Stupefy!”

Again the girl seemed to have already realised his intentions and quite calmly dodged the second spell thrown her way. Thankfully Lestrange managed to sidestep the rebounded spell, unlike Nott, otherwise that would have just been even more embarrassing. Riddle was beginning to rethink Nott’s role in the Knights after that. 

“Are we finished yet?” The witch was tapping her foot impatiently. “I didn’t come here for some childish duelling with a few stupid Slytherins. I have more important things to be getting on with,” she said, looking down her nose at them. “Stop wasting my time".

Malfoy spluttered indignantly. “Wasting your time? You should be so privileged _we’re_ wasting our time on _you_!” He curled his lip. “Who do you think you are anyway?”

“What could you possibly have to get back to anyway?” Dolohov added. “Some knitting perhaps? Trying to tame that awful bird’s nest on top of your head? Or perhaps saving the world?”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.” The witch responded witheringly. The Slytherin’s guffawed, and Riddle smirked.

“You, save the world? HA!” Lestrange could hardly get the words out. “If the world ever needs saving, I would definitely never call you to help! Ha ha!”

“Imagine!” Malfoy continued. “You’d run the other way screaming in terror at anything remotely dangerous and scary!”

“I think you’re getting you and I a bit confused,” the girl spat. Riddle stopped smirking, and instead began to watch her intently. Things were starting to get interesting, and so was she.

Malfoy sobered up quickly. “What did you say to me?! How dare you speak to me in such a manner! Do you even know who I am?”

“A coward?” The witch responded sarcastically?

“Fuck you!” Malfoy shouted. “Who the hell are you to say that to me? You’re the sort of person who would leave their friends to die and run away at the first sight of danger, because you’re too timid and weak to deal with that!” The witch’s eyes narrowed, but Malfoy continued. “Actually no, you don’t even have any friends!”

“For the first time this evening, you are right.” The girl’s voice had taken on a quiet, but dangerous tone, and Riddle inched closer to get a better look. The four remaining Slytherins glanced at each other hesitantly. They recognised the tone. It was the exact one Riddle used when he was angry with them, and you didn’t mess with Riddle when he was angry.

“I don’t have any friends anymore, through no fault of my own.” She stared accusingly at the four boys, and continued in that same voice. “But enough about that. You want a duel? Fine. Let’s duel.”

-

The girl flicked her wrist and her wand appeared. Riddle whistled softly. Neat trick. Apparently the others thought the same, and shuffled back as she pointed her wand towards Nott.

“Wait! What are you doing?” Avery intervened. “He’s already knocked himself out!”

She rolled her eyes. “Surprisingly, I noticed that too. But it has to be some sort of fair fight, so…” She returned to Nott. “Re-enervate.”

Riddle couldn’t believe his eyes. She was either superbly stupid or superbly brilliant, and he was beginning to suspect it was the former. He’d seen her duel in Defence Against the Dark Arts. She was nothing special there. Surely she couldn’t have improved that much in such a short space of…three hours? He shook his head.

“Ready?” Lestrange asked. The girl inclined her head. The Slytherins did the same. None of them bowed fully, but before the five boys had even straightened, the witch had already slashed her wand through the air, sending a beam of red light towards Nott, where it slammed into the centre of his chest, and he was once again thrown out of the way, unconscious.

Riddle raised both his eyebrows. With a shout of rage, Avery attacked next. “Flipendo!” But again the girl sidestepped, rolled her eyes and sent back “Furnuncilus!”

It hit Avery squarely on his face, and he immediately erupted in boils, screaming.

The girl laughed. “I didn’t realise this was a second year duel.”

The remaining three Slytherins, Lestrange, Dolohov and Malfoy advanced together. “Don’t worry girl, it’s definitely not anymore.”

“Diffindo!” Lestrange sent the severing charm straight towards the girl who defected it into the wall, cracking several of the stones. Malfoy had cast “Everte Statum!” intending to throw the girl backwards, but she merely redirected it the same way as Lestrange’s curse. Meanwhile however, Dolohov had sent “Incarcerus!” towards the girl, which bound her in tight ropes.

“Woo!” While Slytherins high-fived, Riddle felt strangely disappointed that the she was so easily defeated. But then…

The girl started laughing. “I’m sorry, I just wanted you to feel a bit of joy before I beat you.”

-

Lestrange turned to her. “What?”

“Relashio!” The girl’s wand cracked through the air and her bindings fell in tatters to her feet. As she advanced, Riddle began to feel something strange. There was a shift in the air, something was moving, claiming the space itself.

It was her magic, he realised suddenly. She was releasing it from her tight rein. Something he himself did when he didn’t have to, or want to hide it. He felt it fighting, licking and feeling his own, and it was strong. Incredibly so. Shocked, he looked at her properly for the first time. He eyes were burning brighter than he’d seen before, and now he noticed the intelligence. The knowledge. The cunning. The awareness. The _fire_ in her. Even her hair crackled with magic. He noticed _her_.

His remaining followers did as well. Their eyes wide, edging backwards a she raised her wand, their feeble attempts of defence defected with ease.

“Levicorpus!” There was a flash of light from the witch’s wand, and suddenly all five of his followers were dangling upside down in the air, robes fallen over their heads.

For the first time in a long time, Riddle let out a genuine laugh. He couldn’t recall that spell anywhere, which was strange, but it was highly possible that the girl had invented it herself. Still, although his followers dangling by their ankles was amusing, he would have to teach them a lesson. If a girl could duel all of them relatively easily, they needed to correct that, fast. It was clear to him now that she had been hiding her talents quite cleverly in class. The question was why.

“Argh!” Lestrange called out. “Let us down!”

The girl smirked.

“No, I don’t think I will. But one other thing,” she continued. “My name is Hermione Granger, not Plain Jane. Get it right next time. Goodbye.” With that, Hermione Granger walked off the way she had come, apparently unaffected by the whole charade.

From then on, Tom Riddle noticed her. And Lord Voldemort making a note of someone was rather a big deal.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Please gift kudos if you enjoyed :)


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